How to Know the Right Time to Put Your Dog Up for Adoption

Dogs are given up for adoption for many reasons. These include allergic reactions, insufficient time to spend with the dog and relocation that makes it impossible to keep them. The birth of a new baby, death of a family member or divorce also may result in a dog having to be placed in a new home, and the economic recession has caused a spike in dogs given up for adoption. However, if your dog is exhibiting problem behavior that you cannot resolve, you will need to decide if it is the right time to put him up for adoption.

Things You'll Need

  • Behavior manual
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Instructions

    • 1

      Evaluate your dog's problem behavior. Identify whether it is aggression, lack of training or simply boisterousness and enthusiasm. Determine on a scale of 1 to 10 what the level of the problem is.

    • 2

      Understand the reason for the dog's behavior. Bad habits such as chewing furniture are often signs of boredom, and can be alleviated by increased exercise. However, aggression can be an indication of high levels of testosterone or insufficient socialization.

    • 3

      Identify the amount of time you have to work on the problem. Exercising a young dog enough can take an hour a day, provided you are physically able to run or walk for that long. However, socializing an aggressive dog can take much longer and require joining a training club or working regularly with other dog owners.

    • 4

      Contact an animal behaviorist for advice on whether the dog would be better suited to a different home. The animal's needs may be for a home without other pets or small children, or one with a yard big enough yard to get sufficient exercise on its own.

    • 5

      Speak with your vet about the dog and try to understand whether he is in the early stage of the problem or the advanced stage. Discuss factors such as breed, age, fitness level, neutering and medication, and get advice on whether there could be something physically wrong with the dog.

    • 6

      Decide whether you have what it takes to rehabilitate your pet. If not, give it up for adoption and do the very best you can to find it the right home for its nature and problems.